Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-24

would c0urteously respond. i turned
The man over 10 the Brockton officers.
week later he escaped, and / do moi
think he was ever recaptured."
A detective who was engaged in the
business forty years ago under City
Marshal Turkey was induced to talk
only on promise that his name should
not be used.
"You have no idea, he said, "what
lot Of trouble it makes me to get my
name in print. Everybody who meets
me for a month afterward will want to
stop and talk about the matter. | guess
/ viii tell you the history of the Au-
gusta bank robbery, as the full particu-
lars OF that matter never got into the
papers. II happened something like
thirty-five years ago. There were two
young fellows by the name OF Wingate,
who lived in Cbarlestown, and were
known as Gus. and Ed One worked
for Hinkley & Drury, the Harrison
avenue merchants, and the other
for West-End shoemaker. One
day the boy who worked at safe
making saw big safe on the sidewalk
ready TO go to Augusta. Me-, with the
old-iashioned key hanging to the handle
by string. He took a piece of hard
soap and got an impression of the key,
from which he soon made a duplicate.
The boys then took passage on the
steamer with the safe and followed il to
Augusta, where it was delivered to the
bank authorities. The bank was going
into new quarters, and had just con-
stTuCted brick vault, inside of which
YVES an iron casting several feet from the
walls, and the big Boston safe went in
side of the casting. The Wingates kept
their eyes open to see what was going
olh They secured board in town, but
took care not to be seen together on
tie street. While waiting till the bank
was ready to rob they tried to study up
suitable place to deposit their ex-
pected plumber First they decided to
put it in the tomb at the cemetery, and
made key to fit its door, but after
ward concluded that the risk of dis
coyery in case of use being made OF
the tomb was too great. They hap
pened to he lo"ciL.;:Iiig over the State
House one day when they noticed that
there was an apparently hollow place
under the platform upon which rested
the speakers chair. Removing a
drawer in the rear convinced them
that there was ample room to store
their 'swag' here, and they decided
on this spot. They went down to the
cellar and fixed a window SO that it
would open from the outside, and then
all was ready for the burglary.
"Ihey hired livery-stable sleighone
dark night, and drove tito an alley-way
behind the bank. 1t was little trouble
to enter "A rear room of the bank build
ing, and the bricks Of the vault, being
land in new mortar, came out easily.
With their tools, they penetrated the
iron casing, and their false key soon
had the safe-door open. | think there
was SG0,0O0 or $50, specie in the
safe. besides few thousands in State
bank paper money. Gus put the
paper in his pocket, and the boys car
RED the gold and silver to the sleigh,
drove to the State House, and mid
it under the Speakers chair. OF
course the robbery made big
sensation, and when the news reached
Boston Marshal Turkey sent me
down to help the Augusta officers.
When / got there they had Ed Win
gate in jail on suspicion, but they could
prove nothing. All they knew was
that some coin had been found in the
bottom OF the sleigh he hired, and that
he had driven his brother to a small
station some miles away. Nobody
knew who he was, but as soon as [ saw
him / recognized him. 1 tried to geta
confession out of him, but he stuck to
his declaration OF innocence for long
time. He said the money in the sleigh
must have been there when he hired
it. The money WAS like any other
money, and the case was not very
strong.
Zone day I said to the boy: Ed, I
want to see if you can't dream tonight
how that robbery was committed and
what the thieves did with the money.
You needn't dream the names of the
robbers, but try and get at the other
particulars. Ii you can do that | will
get you bailed out.
The next morning, when | called,
he said he had had a dream. l got
Colonel Stanley, director in the bank,
and he backed up my promises. Then
Ed told us all about it, and we went
with him to the State House and re-
covered the specie, he agreeing to hunt
up the paper money and restore it. [
came back to Bostcn and tried to find
Gus but after quite awhile l
lad learned nothing further than
that he had a girl who worked
for a family on Oliver Place, OFF
Eeach street. / gotpermission to usea
back room in a house on EdinbOro'
street, and, together with my partner,
'piped that girl every day, whenever
she stirred out of doors. At last she
went to the Old Colony depot and
boughta ticket for Braintree. OF course
l went along. When we got to Brain
tree she went straight to the hotel. !
sneaked around the windows and saw
both the Wingate boys, with an uncle
Of theirs, in the sitting-room.
"My next move was to hunt up the
town constable and ask him to assist
me in arresting them. But he replied
that they had pistols--he had seen them
shooting at MARYLAND he didn't like
to rrn any risk. found out that the
BOYS were going to walk overto Quincy
and take the Fall River train for New
York, and got the constable to drive
me down to Quincy, where | knew L
could rely upon George French, a
deputy sheriff, who kept the Hancock
House. George was ready at once, and
we took pung and drove back. When
we met the boys we sprang upon them
as agreed before they knew who we
were, ard the hvelicst kind of a
struggle ensued. | got q hand
cuff on Gus, and French kept
trying to get ed near enough
SO we could link him to his brother,
but he was too much for us. We were
foundeiing around when my brave
constable from Braintree drove up, and,
seeing that things looked safe, threw
his Fat form onto ed Wingate, bawl-
ing out: 'Oh, You villain, you!' Ed
threw up his foot and hit the constable
eo,,oro on, kho ,,oca capdino, him AvinU